


all of our problems (i'm gonna solve em, with you riding shot gun)

by literalgaytrash



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, road trip au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:27:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28963884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literalgaytrash/pseuds/literalgaytrash
Summary: rachel berry is 2,000 miles away and 10 years too late when she realizes quinn fabray is in love with her. well. was in love with her anyway.
Relationships: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	all of our problems (i'm gonna solve em, with you riding shot gun)

**Author's Note:**

> title from smoke signals by phoebe bridgers. my apologies for any grammar/spelling issues

rachel berry is 2,000 miles away and 10 years too late when she realizes quinn fabray is in love with her. well. _was_ in love with her anyway.

  
it starts like this: rachel is 18 years old, freshly graduated, and freshly single. 

  
she should have seen it coming sooner. finn was sweet, occasionally anyway, and he was cute and he loved her. he was also safe, and if she’s being honest with herself that’s the only reason she had let their relationship last as long as it did. towards the end of their senior year she knew her plan didn’t include finn. it just _didn’t._ telling him had been difficult, just as she’d expected, but she survived. 

  
so, there she was. stuck in lima, ohio for the next two months before she could leave for nyada. she was sure she’d go crazy, she’d always had too much energy for her own good and without a boyfriend to spend time with she knew she’d start to lose it in no time.

  
surprisingly, her savior had come in the form of quinn fabray. 

  
rachel had gone for a walk just to get out of the house when she passed the fabray’s driveway, where she saw quinn stuffing an overflowing duffle into the trunk of her car. 

  
“going on a trip, quinn,” rachel asked before she could stop herself. quinn looked up, obviously surprised at rachel’s presence. her brow had a light sheen of sweat and her chest heaved as a result of cramming almost everything she owned in her tiny trunk. which rachel tried to ignore. (key word: tried).

  
“yeah,” quinn answered, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the bottom of her shirt. when the hem fell back down she found rachel staring at her, like maybe she was...checking her out? but no, that couldn’t be it. “goin for a little road trip before i leave for yale, trying to broaden my horizons and all that.” she said it with a small smile, like it was some kind of joke she’d told too many times. 

  
“oh yeah? i don’t suppose you’d like some company,” rachel said in a tone that was obviously joking. sure, she and quinn had stopped hating each other over the years but going on a two month long road trip with no one else for company? yeah, right. she didn’t feel like being murdered. she moved to lean against quinn’s car, standing shoulder to shoulder with the blonde. when she looked over though, she didn’t see what she thought she would. instead of looking entertained at rachel’s question she looked like she was actually considering it. 

  
“oh, quinn, i was totally kidding. i didn’t mean to barge in on your summer plans,” rachel started before quinn could turn her down. but then something unexpected happened (which seemed to be a theme when it came to quinn fabray).

  
“rachel, if you can be here tomorrow at nine with luggage i would love some company,” quinn answered in a soft voice, softer than rachel had ever heard her.   
“are you serious,” rachel asked. she trusted quinn but dealing with years of cruel practical pranks and jokes, she just wanted to make sure they were on the same page.

  
“as a heart attack, berry,” quinn answered. 

  
it was crazy. just picking up and leaving to go on a road trip to “broaden her horizons” with a girl who used to torment her for fun. and yet, she was considering it. seriously considering it actually. she didn’t have a boyfriend she had to stay around for this summer. her dads had been working more hours to help pay for new york. kurt was spending the summer with blaine. jesse was off at some “guys only” theater camp, whatever that meant. she had no real reason to stay in lima.   
“okay. nine o’clock fabray, don’t be late,” rachel teased, pushing away from the car. she made her way down the driveway and down the street until she disappeared from quinn’s sight.

  
\-------------------------------------------------

  
quinn was already regretting this. she’d made it the last four years without spilling her embarrassing feelings for rachel and she had a feeling this trip would change that. 

  
she wasn’t exactly sure why she’d taken rachel’s joking offer for companionship seriously. (except she absolutely did know). regardless, it was happening.   
rachel showed up to the fabray house at 8:47 am, duffle bag slung over her arm, and a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. quinn thought she’d never looked better. 

  
“hope you’re ready for this, fabray. i stayed up all night making a playlist for this little journey we’re about to embark on,” rachel stashed her bag in the back seat then made a move to sit in the passenger seat. “come on, quinn, time’s wasting ! people to see, places to go, horizons to explore.”

  
_oh god,_ quinn thought as she watched rachel fiddle with the tree shaped air freshener hanging from her rearview mirror, _i hope i'm ready for this too._

  
\-------------------------------------------------

  
they headed west with quinn in the driver's seat and rachel reclining with her feet on the dash in the passenger seat. true to her word, rachel had made a playlist for the trip and so far it wasn’t driving quinn crazy. “anywhere particular you planned on going,” rachel asked, looking at the paper map she’d found in the glove box. 

  
“not entirely sure if i’m being honest. i just knew i couldn’t stay in ohio anymore,” quinn answered, her eyes not leaving the road. ohio was… well, it was ohio. and if quinn didn’t have to stay any longer then she wouldn’t. “i always thought colorado might be cool, though.”

  
“i’ve never been but i’ve heard it’s lovely,” rachel hadn’t heard a damn thing about colorado from anyone she’d ever met, it just sounded like the right thing to say. 

  
“colorado it is then.”

  
\-------------------------------------------------

  
two days into the trip quinn realized just how _not ready_ she was. when they were in school, quinn could avoid rachel, along with the feeling in her chest everytime she caught the brunette’s eye. it was easy when they had distractions, glee club and boyfriends to focus on. all of that was gone though, and it was just quinn and rachel. 

  
on a tuesday in early june, quinn realized she'd fallen in love with rachel. when, she’s not sure, but she knew it was true.

  
the sky was blue. two plus two equals four. quinn fabray was in love with rachel berry. these were all undeniable truths, incapable of being argued with.   
quinn was utterly, _utterly_ fucked. she knew this was an undeniable truth too. 

  
\-------------------------------------------------

  
they’d stopped for gas somewhere in indiana, a state they both wanted to be in and out of as soon as humanly possible. nothing to see there anyway. _more than corn in indiana my ass_ quinn thought. she couldn’t wait until she was out of the midwest. 

  
she stood by the car allowing the gas to pump into the tank while rachel was inside paying. she stopped the pump and returned it to its spot at the same time rachel was making her way out of the shop. she skipped towards quinns car holding a bag of what quinn guessed to be snacks. rachel made her way to her side of the car and dropped the bag on the floorboard then made herself comfortable in the front seat. 

  
admittedly, quinn was kind of a control freak about her stuff, her car in particular. santana had put her feet on the dash of quinn’s car exactly one time and it hadn’t ended well. in fact, the fight they’d had in the hallway over santana’s summer surgery looked like child's play in comparison to the shit show that followed the brunette’s nikes resting on quinn’s dash. it took two weeks and an intervention from brittany for them to finally make up. for some reason, unknown to quinn, she didn’t care when rachel did it.

  
(except she absolutely _did_ know why she let rachel get away with it. it’s the same reason she’d let rachel come along on this trip, the same reason she’d let rachel do basically anything. _god could i be any more pathetic?_ quinn thought.) 

  
quinn shook her head, trying to rid herself of her thoughts. nothing would ever come of her feelings so she needed to work on letting them go. she got back in the car and checked her phone. after sending a quick text to sam, they were on the road again. 

  
“so why didn’t you invite sam to come with you? or even santana? they’re your best friends right ?” rachel asked, shortly after quinn settled back in the driver's seat.  
“sam went to visit his family in kentucky. and honestly, if it were just me and him we probably would have done something stupid like run away and never come back,” quinn paused and rachel wondered if she meant run away as in run away _together_ or just simply cutting ties and bolting. “and santana is up britt’s ass, as per usual. they’re a package deal and not one i particularly wanted to drag cross country.”

  
rachel understood that. she’d spent enough time with kurt and blaine, and jesse and his revolving party of significant others, to know that third wheeling was never fun.

  
“but you had no problem dragging me along ? why’s that,” rachel asked and then immediately regretted it. quinn tensed for a moment, if rachel hadn’t been looking so closely she’s sure she would have missed it, then deflated again.

  
“with sam, i wasn’t sure i’d actually want to come back, you know ? might find a place out west and just stay there. that would never happen with you,” quinn said in a teasing voice, “at least with you i know i’ll take you back.”

  
“oh yeah ? and why’s that,” rachel asked, slightly insulted that quinn wouldn’t run away with her. not that she _wanted_ quinn to run away with her just. hypothetically, she was offended. 

  
“because, rachel berry, you have a bright future and i won’t be responsible for you missing out on it.”

  
“oh,” rachel replied. 

  
she couldn’t help but think of finn. finn who never really understood that rachel _needed_ to go to new york, _needed_ to follow her dreams. finn, who supposedly loved her, but never fully accepted the fact that new york would always come first. and here was quinn, not only accepting rachel’s ambition, but encouraging her to go for it. 

  
(which reminded rachel of that day in the auditorium and “you don’t belong here rachel, and you can’t hate me for helping to send you on your way” and she wonders why quinn cares so much, but she knows she’d get nothing if she asked, so she just doesn’t.)

  
they didn’t speak for awhile after that, just sat on opposite sides of the car listening to rachel’s music filtering out of quinn’s speakers. the last thing rachel remembers before falling asleep is quinn’s soft voice singing along to some old taylor swift song and how she’s never heard anything better.

  
\-------------------------------------------------

  
“rach, hey, rachel,” quinn nudged the girls arm, hoping to wake her up. the girl had been sleeping for hours and quinn had finally stopped again for food. she was able to find a small diner that, after going in and checking with the nice older woman working behind the counter, served a variety of vegan options. quinn was honestly really surprised considering they were in the middle of nowhere and veganism was treated like a joke to the majority of rural america but she wasn’t going to question it. “rachel,” she tried again, “come on, wake up or I'm eating without you.”

  
the other girl began to stir and her eyes fluttered open. she stifled a yawn and stretched her arms above her head as best she could without hitting the roof of the car. “quinn? where are we?” rachel looked around and realized the car was parked outside a small brick building with a glowing open sign in the window.

  
“still in indiana i’m pretty sure. i thought you’d be hungry by now so we’re stopping to eat,” the blonde paused, seemingly anticipating the other girl’s question, “and yes, i already checked. the woman inside said there were vegan options. now come on, i'm starving.” 

  
quinn got out of the car and walked towards the door, leaving a sleepy, disgruntled rachel to follow.

  
\-------------------------------------------------

  
rachel entered the diner and looked around until she spotted quinn in a booth near the back of the restaurant. she walked over and slid onto the bench across from the blonde.

  
“is that my sweatshirt,” quinn asked, but she knew the answer. rachel sat across from her wearing her gray mckinley cheer sweatshirt and quinn could feel her brain short circuiting. 

  
“oh, i guess,” rachel looked down like she hadn’t realized what she’d put on. “sorry, it was the only thing i could find without going through my bag.” she pushed her hair back and over her shoulder and picked up a menu, like she hadn’t just sent quinn into the largest gay panic ever to reach the rural midwest. 

  
“it’s fine,” quinn said and then blushed because her voice fucking _cracked_ and god that was _embarassing_ , but thankfully rachel pretended not to notice. “looks better on you anyway.” quinn was shooting for nonchalance but her voice was still uneven so she decided to pick up her menu and pretend to read through it.

  
rachel laughed, “god, as if. i’ve seen you in this sweatshirt and i gotta say, the view wasn’t horrible.”

  
“not horrible? wow, what a compliment. try to keep it in your pants, berry,” quinn joked, but her cheeks were slightly red, and she was grateful to have the menu to hide her face.

  
\--------------------------------

  
“i’m just saying, quinn, i fail to understand your hostility towards indiana. i’ve been in far worse places than this, like i don't know, lima, ohio for instance,” rachel began after they had ordered from the nice older woman named marge who seemed to be the only person working in the diner.

  
“rachel berry, indiana is the worst place i’ve ever set foot in and if you ever say something that blasphemous again i will make you walk back to ohio,” her tone was serious but one look in her eyes and rachel could see she was joking. rachel always noticed that quinn’s eyes gave her away. whether she be happy, annoyed, frustrated, or tired, her eyes showed it. “why are you staring at me, weirdo,” quinn asked, seemingly uncomfortable under rachel’s gaze. rachel quickly diverted her gaze and opened her menu again. 

  
“alright,” marge’s voice cut through the silence, “coffee for you, and water for this one,” she set the glass in front of quinn. “what else can i get for you ladies?” 

  
“i think we still need a minute, but can i get some sugar for my coffee, marge,” rachel asked in the voice she always used when dealing with adults that weren’t mr. shue. in other words, she sounded nice and respectful. marge nodded and headed to the counter, bringing back a handful of sugar packets. quinn thought that the whole handful might be a bit much for one cup of coffee but she watched rachel tear open every one and dump it in her mug. the brunette stirred her drink until the sugar was all dissolved and when she looked up she saw quinn staring at her this time.

  
despite quinn’s eyes usually being easy to read for rachel, she couldn’t figure out what the other girl was thinking. as soon as she opened her mouth to repeat quinn’s earlier question of “why are you staring at me, weirdo?” she was hit in the eye with the blonde’s straw wrapper. “oh, real mature quinn,” rachel tried to put on an affronted expression but quinn was laughing.

quinn was laughing and she looked so much happier, so much lighter in the tattered old booth in a ran down diner in _indiana_ of all places than she ever did in the halls of mckinley high so rachel just laughed with her and thought that maybe all the torment she faced in high school was worth it as long she got to see quinn like this. 

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys ! i've had this sitting in my drafts for months and am basically posting it in hopes that i get motivated to finish it. if you guys have comments or whatever or just wanna follow me for more faberry content im @daniiclaytcn on twt. thanks for reading :-)


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